Think of the best hip hop records....the majority are negative in terms of the themes and overall presentation. TO me I find positive conscious hip hop boring. Hip hop at its best imho is negative.

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mic_data

Total Posts: 696Member Since: 2017

posted Thursday, August 10, 2017 9:47:14 AMNo. Yer gonna have to give some background on what you've been listening to, so we know your tastes and where you're coming from.

I might have stopped listening to hip hop dominantly long ago if I hadn't found positive stuff to listen to.

Just look around here a while and check what everyone's either listening to or has listened to in the past.

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mic_data

Total Posts: 696Member Since: 2017

posted Thursday, August 10, 2017 9:51:45 AMFollow up. I know people who perceive hip hop as negative, due mainly to the industry and mainstream who still won't give anything new I suggest a listen to this day. Kind of like how I won't listen to country.

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LEX718

Total Posts: 894Member Since: 2017Location: Queens, NYC

posted Thursday, August 10, 2017 9:58:47 AMI don't. Depending on the vantage point some of the shit that is perceived as negative really ain't even all that negative. It's certainly not an "inherently negative genre." It's an artform that grew from poverty so the same conditions that apply to living poor will be omnipresent in much of the content, but again, the artist's perspective plays a huge role in how that is translated through the music. Native Tongues are among my favorite artists so it's hard for me to say that I think the best hip hop is negative. Dudes like O.C., Masta Ace and Large Pro all discussed hood shit but never conveyed it in a negative light to me. It was more descriptive and vivid than anything else.

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dj rolo

Total Posts: 3689Member Since: 1999Location: New Bedford, MA USA

posted Thursday, August 10, 2017 10:13:59 AM^word LEX718

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no mask

Total Posts: 9332Member Since: 2014

posted Thursday, August 10, 2017 10:40:42 AMIt didnt start getting negative till around '87 with schoolly d, just ice,audio two and then ice-t, too short and then n.w.a. Etc. Was mainly postitive up till around '91 and then the darker, slower beats and negative content started dominating in '92 and stayed dominant . Rap is neutral. Can be used for good or bad. Ive said many times on here that i miss the positive up beat 80's and early 90's rap. Theres alot of really dope negative rap though.

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88

Total Posts: 17459Member Since: 2008Location: every wigger is a star

posted Thursday, August 10, 2017 10:49:09 AM

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88

Total Posts: 17459Member Since: 2008Location: every wigger is a star

posted Thursday, August 10, 2017 10:49:44 AM

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tippi dink

Total Posts: 5798Member Since: 5/5/2015Location: bluffington

posted Thursday, August 10, 2017 2:23:51 PMi don't necessarily think the best hip hop is negative, but i do think it's harder to make positive hip hop that sounds convincing/genuine. there's a thin line between positive/conscious and corny/overly preachy. there's music that can be inspiring/motivating/thought provoking in a more subtle or indirect way and then there's music where the artist is just bashing you over the head with their opinions. it's also probably hard for some people to really relate to stuff that's positive because a lot of people aren't happy - they relate to the struggle and the drama more. music with some weight to it, or urgency. i don't think that's just hip hop either, i think it applies to all types of art - movies, tv shows, comics, etc. just think about all the pop music you've heard in the last decade or so and how much of that is about loss, addiction, heartbreak, depression, being cheated on, etc. it's universal.

so to answer to the question in the OP, i don't think hip hop has to be negative or that the best hip hop is negative. i think the best positive/fun hip hop is just as good as the best negative hip hop, but there's less positive stuff out there that's actually good. it's easier to look at all these dope albums that are darker or deal with more serious concepts since there's an abundance of them.

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Lit Jagger

Total Posts: 2275Member Since: 2017Location: They call it the underground because that's where dead things are buried

posted Thursday, August 10, 2017 11:26:45 PMNegative is a polar opposite to positive. These 2 things must exist to maintain the universe. Its neither good or bad. Theyre both powerful. Hate from a sith lord or love from a jedi

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felipedahiphopadict01

Total Posts: 318Member Since: 2017Location: san borja lima peru

posted Sunday, August 13, 2017 8:35:00 PMI WOULD SAY DARK, NOT NEGATIVE, OF COURSE THERE GREAT DISS SONGS, BUT NO ONE GREAT DISS ALBUM(WELL MAYBE BONE THUGS ART OF WAR) MAYBE AGRESSIVE WOULD BE ANOTHER WORD FOR IT